The ultimate goal of my laboratory is to identify the full complement of molecules that are required for directing proper neural circuit formation in the mammalian central nervous system. To this end, we pioneered an unbiased, forward genetic, RNAi-based screen in cultured primary neurons to identify new molecules that regulate neuronal connectivity. We are currently using gene knockdown and gene targeting approaches both in vitro and in vivo to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which two genes discovered in my screen, Rem2 and Sema4D, regulate synapse and dendrite development.

Profile

Dr. Paradis received her BA from Cornell University and her PhD in Genetics from Harvard Medical School. Her thesis research, performed in the laboratory of Dr. Gary Ruvkun, investigated the genetic program that regulates lifespan in the nematode C. elegans. During her postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Dr. Michael Greenberg at Harvard Medical School, she identified new molecules required for synapse formation. Her own lab at Brandeis University focuses on how intact circuits form in the mammalian CNS by defining the genes that instruct neurons to modify their synaptic connections and dendritic morphology in response to changes in sensory experience. Dr. Paradis has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Society for Neuroscience Career Development Award in 2007 and Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in 2009.